Wrongful Death

In San Diego, as in other places around the country, accidental death is among the leading causes of fatalities. The National Safety Council projects that every five minutes, another person will die in a preventable accident. This means there are thousands of families all across the country who lose a loved one under circumstances that could, and should, have been prevented.

Often, grieving relatives in San Diego have the option of filing a wrongful death lawsuit if they can prove that the actions that led to the death of their loved one meet certain criteria, including if there was negligence or intent to harm, if the survivor was dependent on the victim, and if the survivor represents the estate of the deceased individual. Read the rest »

A wrongful death is when an individual is killed as a result of someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing. A wrongful death claim is a civil lawsuit that can be filed on behalf of the victim by their spouse, children, or parents. A wrongful death claim can help provide the decedent’s family with financial support and hold the at-fault party accountable for the incident. Read the rest »

The sudden and unexpected death of a loved one can prove as financially costly as it is emotionally traumatic. In addition to the grief that the family of a deceased victim will surely experience, there is the financial burden of medical bills, funeral expenses and lost income the victim would have earned. For many, a wrongful death claim is the only option to receive fair financial compensation for their tragic loss. Read the rest »

According to a report by NBC 7, on the morning of November 9, a 91-year-old man and a 79-year-old woman were involved in a single-vehicle wreck in Carlsbad. Investigating officers stated that the man was pronounced dead at the scene, while the woman was transported to Scripps La Jolla Hospital with serious injuries.

The crash occurred around 9:30 a.m. in the 2700 block of Monroe Street. Allegedly, the vehicle swerved into the opposite lane and proceeded to collide into the trees on the side of the road. No other vehicles were involved.

As of the date of the report, the names of the victims have not been released. Investigators do not believe that alcohol was a factor in the accident. Read the rest »

A recent report released by a U.S. Senator has revealed that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) paid hundreds of millions of dollars in wrongful death settlements to more than 1,000 families from 2001 to 2011.

The VA has been under fire after it was discovered that some VA medical centers had doctored records to hide the fact that patients were enduring exceedingly long waits to receive medical care. Those waits resulted in the deaths of an untold number of patients. In May, the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, resigned due to the scandal.

The report, titled “Friendly Fire: Death Delay, and Dismay at the VA,” offered a scathing indictment of the system and the lack of supervision from Congress.

The report says that honest employees who tried to do the right thing and refused to cook the books to assist with cover-ups were often punished with pay cuts, transfers, and poor reviews. The report claims that many patients with a legitimate claim against the VA and the government are reluctant to sue since the process can be long and drawn-out. Read the rest »

Twenty-five-year-old Jayme Alan Midlam was killed in a fatal two-vehicle crash that occurred on December 29, 2012, around 1 a.m. in Santee.

According to the County’s Medical Examiner’s Office, Midlam was alone in his 1972 Volkswagen driving east when it collided with a westbound Chevy 2500 HD pickup truck driving in the wrong direction by 23-year-old April Carole Thompson.

California Highway Patrol Officer Art Athens said that the pickup truck was travelling at a speed of around 70 miles per hour and the female motorist is suspected to be driving under the influence. Read the rest »

A 29-year-old active-duty Marine was killed in a multiple vehicle crash that took place on December 19 around 6:30 p.m. on Interstate 15 in the Deer Springs area. According to the authorities, a wrong-way motorist travelling north on the southbound lane sideswiped a 2006 Ford F-150, driven by a 52-year-old motorist from Vista.

The pickup was damaged a bit, but fortunately the motorist escaped unhurt. The Escort stopped after the collision and then continued to travel north on the southbound side of the freeway, where it later hit a concrete bridge over Gopher Canyon Road. This caused the Escort vehicle to swerve more into south lane No.1 and overturn. Read the rest »

53-year-old John Martin was fatally struck in a head-on car collision that took place on April 15 around 2:49 p.m. along Apple Valley Road. According to San Bernardino County coroner’s officials, Martin was driving a Toyota Highlander when he was hit by a wrong-way-driver Brian Sweet in a Ford F-150 pickup truck.

Martin died at the scene. The at-fault driver was immediately airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center for medical treatment. Read the rest »

37-year-old Asdrubal Tiscareno, a passenger in a vehicle, was killed when the car he was riding in was broadsided on March 15, 2012, around 5:13 p.m. at Schaefer and Monte Vista Avenues. According to San Bernardino County coroner’s officials, the 2002 Mustang driven by 21-year-old Edwin Victor was traveling east on Schaefer Avenue when it began making a left turn. The Mustang was t-boned by a westbound 2004 Acura TSX driven by 25-year-old Cornelles Aldi of Chino Hills.

Tiscareno suffered fatal injuries and was immediately transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead around 11:55 p.m. Read the rest »

A woman was struck and killed in a severe pedestrian wreck that occurred on February 24, 2012, around 12:29p.m. on Arlington Avenue, west of Fairhaven Drive in the far western end of the city. According to Lt. Eric Charrette, a black pickup crossed the double-yellow line, causing the driver of another truck to veer off the road to avoid the collision. Unfortunately, the driver instead ran into a female pedestrian walking east along the south edge of the street.

Paramedics responding to this serious car wreck treated the victim at the scene and later transported her to Riverside Community Hospital, where she died of her injuries. Read the rest »

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